By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

MCDONALD

From 2006 until 2014, the McDonald High football program enjoyed unparalleled success.

During the nine-year span, the Blue Devils found themselves in the playoffs seven times and earned five conference titles.

And while the past two years have by no means been a failure — the Blue Devils are 13-7 in that time frame — a two-year playoff drought and a 6-4 finish (in 2016) is a bit disappointing for a program with such high standards.

“Our kids are hungry, they are very eager to compete for a league title and play football in November,” McDonald coach Dan Williams said. “Our goal is always to win a league title. We feel like if we do that, the computer points will take care of itself.

“We have a nice core of experienced players coming back. We lost a great deal of talent to graduation. We have a lot of holes to fill. But at the same time we like where we’re at heading into the season.”

Williams, now in his 18th season at his alma mater, owns a 121-61 record.

OFFENSE

McDonald’s offense will revolve around its front line, which returns four starters from a year ago. Left tackle Calvin Wolford (6-foot, 240 pounds) is the only senior of the group. He will be joined by juniors Zach Nolf (5-10, 215), Ali Hammond (6-1, 220) and Logan Marshall (5-9, 255).

The experienced line will look to provide holes for junior running back Alex Cintron. As a sophomore, Cintron rushed for a team-high 795 yards, averaging eight yards per carry. He also had 24 receptions for a team-high 409 yards.

Junior Ryan Scala will get the nod at quarterback.

“Ryan started seven JV games a year ago, but never really played under the lights,” Williams said. “We’ll bring him along slowly, but he’s a smart kid, he’ll be able to handle what we throw at him.

“With our experienced line, and with Alex leading the way, we’ll look to run first, and throw when the opportunity presents itself. We feel as though our line can make things happen.”

DEFENSE

Much like on offense, McDonald will rely on its up-front players to carry the load on defense.

Defensive ends Tyrese Johnson (6-3, 195) and Wolford will supply experience, size and speed.

“It’s nice to have those two back, the two bookends on offense who are smart and talented players,” Williams said.

Junior tackle Nate Dean (5-9, 260) also lettered as a sophomore.

“To have three guys return up front is pretty valuable,” Williams said.

Cintron is the lone returning linebacker, while Josh Celli brings experience to an otherwise young defensive backfield.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Williams is facing the daunting task of replacing his kicker, punter and long snapper. Junior Logan Shields and sophomore Tanner Kilbourne are expected to handle kickoffs, field goals and PATs, while three players are vying for the punting duties. Celli and Contron will look to provide production on kickoff and punt returns.

OUTLOOK

Williams is working with a team which possesses an odd mixture of both youth and experience.

The Blue Devils have just six seniors. But there are 14 returning lettermen, including four starters on offense and five on defense.

A deep junior class of 14 players should help offset the smaller senior class in terms of experience and leadership.

“I really like where we are at right now in terms of our team grasping our philosophies and understanding the game, both offensively and defensively,” Williams said. “This group has a strong knowledge of our schemes, and of the game in general.

“Up front, we have nice size, averaging about 230 to 240. I like our team speed, we’re more athletic than we were a year ago.”

Even in its “down” years, McDonald is always in the thick of a hunt for league titles and playoff berths. With a strong core of players returning from a winning team in 2016, this year should be no exception in the new Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference.